a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surveillance documentation systems, and in particular, to a means and method for visual surveillance and documentation.
b. Problems in the Art
Advances in electronic surveillance and monitoring equipment and methods have spurred development of components and processes which facilitate such surveillance efficiently and economically. Many of the components can operate at least semi-automatically, and some systems can monitor continuously over long periods of time, or for selected sample intervals.
In particular, visual surveillance technology has advanced to the point where it is cost-effective for many different types of situations. Visual verification is the closest thing to "eye-witness" documentation available. Visual surveillance can be monitored as the event happens, or can be recorded for later analysis or retention.
Many times it is desirable to not only have a visual surveillance monitoring system but also include non-visual information about the event. A common example of desired non-visual information would be time and date of the event. Obviously, other information such as description of the event, place of the event, and quantitative or qualitative data, or identification of the event might also be desirable.
Examples of areas where such surveillance documentation systems are or might be used include verification and documentation of commercial transactions; surreptitious surveillance for crime enforcement, investigation, or documentation; research recording and analysis; identification and verification procedures; educational presentation productions; medical monitoring; and manufacturing process control.
A number of systems have been attempted and are currently in use which try to fill these needs. For example, some systems utilize conventional video cameras and video tape recorders (VTR's) to visually record an event. It is common to superimpose time and date information onto the video record.
Other systems attempt to superimpose other information onto the video record. For example, video cameras will record a cashier's station in a grocery checkout line, and have components which will convert information such as food item price and identification into a signal which would then be contemporaneously superimposed on any video record of the sales being made.
Still further systems take the visual camera recording of the event, and then overlay or create a split screen to show another event, or to display other information regarding the event.
While such systems have proven to be manageable and acceptable to some, there are still deficiencies which can impact on the reliability and verification value of the systems. It is many times crucial to establish that the non-visual information obtained actually correlates to the visual record of the event obtained. In present systems, there exists a danger that this correlation can be altered. Because present systems simply overlay or superimpose the non-visual information (contained in a separate signal) over the visual record which is recorded or displayed, there is always the chance that either the visual record signal or the information signal can be tampered with, altered, or otherwise modified to destroy this correlation.
An example of this danger is seen in the following illustration. In commercial transactions where vehicles carrying a commodity are weighed, and then payment is made on that basis, it is crucial that any surveillance system establish that the visual picture being recorded corresponds to the weight of the commodity being paid for. In systems where only a visual record is recorded, losses are many times experienced when a dishonest scale operator, working with the vehicle driver, report an inaccurate weight. In systems where the weighing process is visually recorded, and the weight is obtained and superimposed on the video record, a dishonest scale operator could alter the weight reading, or otherwise modify the signal being superimposed. Furthermore, a dishonest monitoring employee could potentially alter either the visual image or the weight reading because they are two separate dissociable signals.
Problems as this are of such a serious nature that millions of dollars per year are lost by persons and companies involved in these types of retail or commercial transactions.
In other examples, surveillance of warehouses, cargo loading, shipping docks, and commodity conveying systems also run the risk of having incomplete surveillance documentation, or having that documentation altered without substantial difficulty.
Therefore, a specific need in the art is to have surveillance documentation which contains not only a visual record of an event, but also non-visual information, both of which can be documented with a high probability of correlation, and which cannot be easily altered.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a means and method of visual surveillance documentation which solves or improves over the problems and deficiencies in the art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described, which provides highly verifiable visual surveillance and documentation of an event or events.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described, which allows combined visual and non-visual information of an event to be documented in an integrated form.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described, which is highly resistant to any tampering or alteration of its surveillance documentation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described which is flexible and adaptable to many varied and different uses.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described which can take many forms and embodiments and still retain high verification.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described which will significantly increase deterrence of stealing, or alteration of results with respect to surveilled events.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described which can provide visual surveillance and documentation continuously over long periods of time, and for selected time intervals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a means and method as above described which is easy to operate, efficient, economical and long-lasting.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with respect to the accompanying specification and claims.